Help Me!
by stupid-nickel
Summary: "Ryder stared at him, her eyes wide in abject horror. She frowned as her body began to shake. 'Why are you telling me this' she whispered. 'Why would you say something like that' Jack had to be lying. He had to be. 'I'm sorry, I really am, but it's the truth.'" The Author's Note inside is quite important. Please take a minute to read it. T for language, just in case.
1. Chapter 1

**AUTHOR'S NOTE! PLEASE READ!**

**Hi folks, stupid_nickel here. So, normally I don't like Doctor who stories when people create a Time Lady and stick her into the Doctor's life, I dunno why, I guess there's a point to him being the last of his kind. Don't get me wrong, I do like SOME of them (especially ones that are well written), but I guess it's not really my thing. **

**Which is why I'm cursing the plot bunnies right now. They just about chewed my damn leg off on the drive home, telling me that, if I didn't write this, they would beat me with a rubber hose like a red-necked step-child.* Thus, "Help Me!" was born. Now, I don't know where exactly I'm going with this (do I ever?) but I do have some main plot points in my head. **

**Fair warning to anyone reading, she's going to be at Torchwood for a while. Before she meets the Doctor, I mean. It's a tad AUish because Owen, Tosh, and Ianto are all still alive. I love them and, for the story to go the way I want, I need them alive!**

**This is not, I repeat NOT an 11th Doctor/OC story. I SWEAR! It would be kind of creepy for...reasons that you'll have to read to find out! Mwahaha. If anything, they will be friends. **

**All I can say is please give it a shot and bear with me. :)**

**Also, any and all constructive criticism is accepted with open arms (but please no flame) so feel free to tell me editing stuff/major plot issues in reviews or PMs. **

**Final notes. xXx means a page break. There _won't _be giant Author's notes at the beginning of every chapter. I will respond to reviews at the top of each chapter, but you can feel free to skip them. I also will give a disclaimer now that serves for the entire story. I do not, repeat do NOT, own Doctor Who. I've got Moffat on Skype right now and we're negotiating, but as of the moment, it ain't mine...yes, "ain't" is a word, look it up ;)**

**Reviews will get you the 11th Doctor's trousers. Here in Canada, we call them "pants." Now, these aren't just any old trousers, but Hypertrousers. Very similar to normal trousers, but with the word "hyper" in front!**

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Chapter 1

Ianto sighed. When would Jack and the others _learn_? You needed to organize the files _before _putting them into the archives! How _else_ was Ianto supposed to find them at a later date? He knew—it was inevitable, really—that _he _would be the one that would have to locate said files when everyone else needed them again. Honestly, sometimes Ianto felt they treated him worse than a bloody _intern_.

Owen was _by far_ the worst! He did everything in his power to make Ianto's job more difficult, whether intentional or not (though, Ianto was leaning towards _intentional_). Owen never cleaned up after himself, he ordered Ianto around, and absolutely _insisted_ on _hand_writing everything in his damnable doctor's scrawl so that Ianto had to find them in the archives, decipher and type them up, and then re-file them!

Strange, how the laziest of the Torchwood team members put so much effort into making Ianto's life a living Hell…

Grumbling to himself, Ianto decided that it was high-time Torchwood Three had digital archives—even if only as a back-up system. Several file folders tucked under his arm, Ianto headed out of the archives, taking it upon himself to create the system. He rolled his eyes; it wasn't as if anyone _else_ would be bothered. _They_ were all too busy hunting down rogue aliens, cracking the codes on alien tech, rounding up stray Weevils, and performing autopsies on God-knows-what. Meanwhile, _Ianto_ simply made the coffee. _Ianto_ pretended to be a worker at a tourist information center. _Ianto_ organized and cleaned.

"_Ianto_ saves everyone's _asses_ on a daily basis," he muttered angrily to no one. He sighed; sometimes he just wished that—

The folders dropped to the floor, papers scattering around and creating a gigantic mess, but Ianto didn't worry about that right now. There had been a loud crash coming from Containment Cell Block A, and he was already off running towards it. Pulling his pistol from his waistband, Ianto flipped off the safety and held it down by his side, slowing to a walk as he neared the cell block—he prepared himself for anything that might happen.

Hearing a shrill, agonized scream coming from one of the cells, however, was not something Ianto had been expecting. Breaking into a sprint, Ianto was outside the door and punching the password into the keypad to open it, milliseconds later. He was floored by the sight he was greeted with.

A Weevil was hunched over, teeth bared, with a bloody hand, prepared to strike once again at a young girl who was lying on the floor, writhing in agony. Her blonde, waist-length curls were splayed around her head, her delicate features twisted in pain, eyes screwed shut, and teeth clenched to hold back another scream. Her back had been arched—probably from a convulsion that had occurred when she was attacked—but now slumped to the floor with a dull _thud_. She wore navy-blue yoga pants, a fitted, pink, sleeveless halter-top, and white flats. She also wore a thick, leather band around her left wrist, much like the one Jack always had, Ianto noted. Blood covered just about every inch of her body and clothing from where it had sprayed—and now poured steadily—out of the five long, deep, gruesome-looking gashes in her abdomen.

Without a moment's thought, Ianto shot the Weevil thrice in the head, killing it before it could finish off the girl. He quickly tucked away his pistol and knelt by her side, hands hovering over her, not sure how exactly to help.

The girl tried to hold back her tears but, like the blood flowing from her wounds, they poured out of her eyes, streaming down her cheeks. Ianto didn't like the way her breathing was coming in short, ragged gasps. Hell, he didn't like any _part_ of this damned situation! The girl whimpered painfully and Ianto's heart broke. "Oh God, oh God," he spoke rapidly as he decided what he needed to do, "I'm so sorry, but this is going to hurt." She cried out once again and tried to pull away as Ianto applied pressure to her wounds, trying desperately to slow the blood flow. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry," he apologized profusely, "but I'm trying to help. I really am! You _need_ to stay still. I'm _so_ sorry!"

The late realization that he needed help had him reaching for his earpiece.

xXx

Owen chuckled to himself; Ianto was going to _hate _him for this! His latest report on Weevil anatomy (he'd discovered some very interesting facts about their teeth; and by interesting, he meant bloody boring as _hell_) was done entirely in pen; a pen that was low on ink. He chuckled darkly at the faded words. However, the _pi__è__ce de r__é__sistance_ was the fact that Owen had written the entire, five-page report in _short-hand_. He laughed to himself gleefully; Ianto was going to have a _field day_!

What Owen found the most humorous was the fact that Ianto actually thought he was _lazy_. Okay…so he _was_ lazy, but come on. Who else would learn short-hand _just_ to bother Ianto? Hell, he had to come up with a new, original trick _at least _once a week, _every_ week! A lot of time and effort went into bugging Ianto and Owen was damn proud of it.

So when Ianto came onto the coms unit, Owen couldn't help but smirk. "Ianto," he crowed, leaning back into his chair, kicking his feet up onto his examination table, "to what do I owe the pleasure?"

Ianto's reply was short and frantic, his voice taking on a panicky edge, _"Guys! Owen!"_ the coms unit crackled, _"I need you down in Cell Block A, number 534, RIGHT NOW!"_

Owen sat up straighter at that. Something was off; Ianto sounded really worried. The two always had a bit of banter before finding out what the other needed. For Ianto to cut to the chase like that…it had the hairs on the back of Owen's neck standing on end. "Hey, hey, hey, calm down, Yan," he said soothingly, eyebrows scrunching together, "tell me what's wrong? What's going on with the Weevils?"

"_Just get down here!"_ Ianto screeched before the coms cut out.

"Yan? _Ianto!_ Damn it!" Owen growled. He was immediately up and moving. Not sure what to expect in the cell block, Owen quickly grabbed one of his many med-bags, and sprinted deep into the heart of the Hub. Whatever was going on, it had Ianto really scared. Holding the med-bag in one hand and his pistol in the other, Owen willed his legs to move faster. "God, Yan," he muttered to himself as he ran, "what did you get yourself into _this _time?!"

When he finally reached cell number 534, Owen gasped. He shook his head in disbelief, running a hand through his hair. He was damn glad he brought supplies.

In the corner of the cell was a dead Weevil, three bullet holes in its head. Beside it, Ianto was huddled over a girl—teenager, by the looks of it—pressing down on her abdomen while blood pooled on the floor around the two. The girl wasn't moving, deathly pale, and barely breathing. Ianto looked up at Owen, his eyes wild and desperate as he tried to stop the blood. He said two words—two pleading words—that, to this day, Owen would never forget.

"Help me!"

xXx

Captain Jack, Gwen, and Toshiko caught up to Ianto and Owen just as they reached the medical bay. Owen carried his med-bag, throwing it haphazardly onto the floor as he cleared off the examination table, creating a makeshift gurney. Ianto ran in after him, carrying the girl in his arms. She was barely conscious, but still whimpered painfully every once in a while. Ianto laid her out onto the gurney as gently as he could, but it still elicited a sharp gasp from her. He apologized once again while Owen quickly placed a tube that delivering the much-needed oxygen underneath her nostrils.

Tosh's hand flew up to cover her mouth as she gasped, Gwen murmuring an "Oh, dear Lord," under her breath when they saw the girl. Jack's eyes grew wide. "What the hell happened?!" he asked softly. Owen ignored them, lost in his work. He hooked her up to as many machines he could think of; a heart-monitor clipped onto her index finger, wires from an EKG machine stuck to her chest and arms, IV in her hand, and an assortment of other tubes and wires.

Ianto hurriedly explained to Jack and the girls how he'd heard a scream and found the girl, near death, in one of the Weevil containment cells. All the while, he followed Owen's orders to "pass me that," and "could you grab me some more bandages." Jack, Gwen, and Tosh watched helplessly as Owen pulled bloodied bandages off of the poor girl's abdomen, muttering estimated numbers of stitches her wounds would need under his breath and worrying about her drastically quickening heart-rate.

The girl on the table gasped and shuddered anytime anyone touched her, which was often; it was a horrifying sight. Jack moved to her side and held her hand in his, hoping that it would at least provide a small amount of comfort to her. Her eyelids were squeezed tightly shut as she struggled for air, her eyes moving back and forth frantically under them. Jack's brows furrowed as he frowned deeply—he wasn't sure the girl would make it through the night.

In order to stitch her up, Owen had to sedate her. But, before he could, her heart-rate spiked impossibly high before ceasing completely. Everyone froze, staring at the flat line. Half a second later, Owen was over the girl's body, performing CPR, desperately trying to revive her. Tears pricked at Tosh's eyes; the girl was so young, she couldn't die now!

Gasping in a breath of air like she'd been deprived for weeks, the girl's eyes flew open. Her shocked expression quickly turned to pain and panic as she became lucid. "Hey, hey," Owen tried to sooth the shaking girl, "it's going to be alright. We're here to help."

"Owen," Jack warned his chief medical officer, staring at the girl and backing away slowly, pulling Gwen and Tosh with him. Ianto's eyes grew wide as he followed suit.

Ignoring him, Owen continued, "I'm going to sedate you briefly, but just so that I can fix you up without it hurting, okay?" Jack bounded up to him, confusion, horror, and awe all distinctly outlined on his face. He grabbed Owen by the shoulders, attempting to pull him back. "Get off!" Owen growled, trying to shake the Captain.

"Damn it, Owen!" Jack barked. "Look at her hands!" Owen gasped as he finally understood why the others were backing away. He allowed Jack to lead him a safe distance from her, his eyes large as saucers.

The girl looked at her body with terrified eyes. She held a hand in front of her face, grimacing at the sharp twist of pain in her stomach when she moved, and gasped. A soft gold glow—not just a glow, an _energy_—was building. She could feel her body getting hotter and hotter, so hot that she couldn't stand the pain anymore. She felt like her entire body was on fire. She started to scream when she exploded with the gold energy. The Torchwood Three team shielded their eyes from the light, but not Jack. He knew exactly what was happening, though he could hardly believe it.

The light intensified once more before dimming slowly. The shocked members of Torchwood uncovered their eyes, just in time to watch the gold shrink back completely, the girl's screams dying with it. "What?!" cried Ianto, his brows shooting sky-high and his jaw dropping.

There was no longer a bloodied, blonde teenager lying on the gurney. In her place was a young brunette, all the tubes and wires hooked up to her the same way they'd been the other girl. She sat up quickly, hands flying to her stomach as she inspected it. Apparently satisfied by the smooth skin of her abdomen, she tried to catch her breath. "Well, that wasn't very fun," she breathed before her eyes rolled back into her head and she fell back down.

Jack looked at the members of his team; Gwen's eyes had bugged out of their sockets, the wheels were turning in Tosh's head as she tried to mentally dissect the situation, Ianto was slack-jawed, and Owen was doing an impressive imitation of a fish, his mouth repeatedly opening and shutting. Jack rubbed his jaw and sighed.

Things had certainly just gotten interesting.


	2. Chapter 2

**Holy amazing readers, Batman! I CANNOT thank you all enough for such an amazing response so soon! ****************Honestly, when I opened up my email tonight (combined with my two other stories) I had 39 messages. HOW COOL IS THAT?! I've been grinning like an idiot! **Seriously, you guys are amazing!

**Thanks to Seiga Niko, Sin respuestas, Hero of the Mind, DoctorandAmyFan97, silky0670, iulik, GoodWolf1011, thisdayandage, Black Astral, The TARDIS blue owl, and *takes a deep breath* 0010111000101110001011100011 11 (seriously, is that actually binary code for something, or did you just REALLY want an original name? This is an actual question for I am honestly curious! :D) for liking the first chapter enough to stalk the story!**

**Big thanks to ****Seiga Niko, ****DoctorandAmyFan97, iulik, ****thisdayandage, and The TARDIS blue owl who liked it enough to favorite.**

**************Bigger thanks to DoctorandAmyFan97 who decided to stalk ME (mixed feelings on this :P).**

**************Finally, HUGE thanks to everyone who reviewed! Seriously guys, I love you all so much!**

**************Seiga Niko- Lol why thank you *bows* it's been rattling around in my brain for a while, decided to finally put it on paper...err...internet...Thank you so much, I really hope it turns out well :)**

**************Cjabbott98 (this is from Don't Touch That where she asked be to consider it a review for this story)- Thanks :) Glad it turned out well! And I suppose you'll have to read to find out ;) Haha, hope your talk with your friend went well :P**

**************DoctorandAmyFan97- Thank you so so much! I'm happy you think so! I hope you like them, cause they're gonna be around for a while.**

**************iulik- haha oh my Winchester! I almost died when I saw your review. I'm glad you PMed me though :P Don't worry about it, phones can suck once in a while. Jenny is a good guess, but sorry, nope. She IS an original character, and I'm going to do my best to keep her from the land of Mary-Sues.**

**************thisdayandage- Thank you so so much! It means a lot, really. I'm glad I've got you hooked :)**

**************So, ****any and all constructive criticism is accepted with open arms (but please no flame) so feel free to tell me editing stuff/major plot issues in reviews or PMs. Reviewers today receive...**

******************The 11th Doctor's ****Jacket - **Unique in the universe, made of Infinity Tweed. If the jacket is hit by any kind of bullet or laser beam, or even a triple-enfolded, quantum-strength ninja star, it would be completely ruined. So, please, be careful with it!

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Chapter 2

For a moment, everyone simply stared at the brown-haired girl lying in front of them, her eyes shut and her breathing even. A multitude of questions filled their minds; Who is she? _What_ is she? How did she get here? What happened to the blonde? What the hell had just happened?! Jack promised them all an explanation when Ianto returned. He had gone to do what he did best in stressful situations—make a couple damn good cups of coffee.

Once Ianto came back, the Torchwood Three team gathered around Jack who was still keeping a watchful eye on the girl. "Alright," he leaned forward in his seat, resting his elbows on his knees, "who's first?" Jack's entire team started to speak at once, each trying to drown out the other with their questions. Jack waved his hands in the air, motioning for them to be quiet. He turned to Owen and told him he could start.

"Well," Owen began, looking around at his friends, "I think I'll ask the question everyone else is wondering; what _is_ that thing? Because it sure as hell ain't human!" he stated, gesturing towards the sleeping girl. At that moment, as if to prove his point, she sighed deeply, a cloud of gold, shimmering dust floating out of her mouth and dissipating into the air.

Jack sighed, running his hands through his hair. This was going to be tough. "She's a Time Lord, er, _Lady_, I guess," he corrected himself. "You guys remember me talking about the Doctor, right?" Receiving their nods, he smiled slightly, "Well, she's the same species as him. When they're about to die, they can regenerate their bodies. The blonde girl that was lying there, bleeding to death," everyone shivered at the memory, "that's still her." Jack groaned. "Oh, I wish the Doctor was here, he'd be able to explain it a lot better. But, basically, her body kind of…exploded and turned into someone else; same person, but entirely different. It saves their lives."

Ianto stole another glance at the girl as another golden cloud exited her mouth with a sigh. "So what's that stuff then?" he asked Jack.

"Residual regeneration energy." Jack thought back to the stories Rose had told him, the stories of when the Doctor regenerated from his ninth to his tenth form. "We'd best not wake her up," he warned his teammates. "She's still cooking and, _believe_ me, waking her up before she's ready would bring about a whole other _world_ of trouble." He blinked as a thought occurred to him. "Time Lady!" he slapped a palm to his forehead. "That's why her heart-rate was so fast—she's got _two_ hearts!"

"Dual-vascular system," Owen murmured, his brain working a mile a minute with this new bit of information.

"Wait a second," Gwen interrupted Owen's train of thought, ignoring the glare she received, "Jack, I thought you said this 'Doctor' of yours was the _last_ of his kind. So how's _she _here?"

Jack nodded thoughtfully. "That's the weird thing," he agreed, "he was. All of Gallifrey was destroyed in the Time War. It's _impossible_ for her to be here!" His eyebrows pulled together, "Speaking of which, how _did _she get here? Tosh," he turned to his computer techie—not that he'd _tell_ her that's what he sometimes called her, she'd have a complete _cow_ about _that_. Tosh looked up at him. "Could you check the CCTV? Find out what happened?" With a nod, Tosh was off towards the computers. Jack got up and strode over to the girl. She looked so peaceful now. _'Hang on,'_ he thought, something on her wrist catching his eye. Pulling the wrist-strap off of her, he inspected it carefully. It was, most definitely, a Vortex Manipulator.

Moments later, Tosh called for him and everyone gathered around her. The security tape confirmed Jack's suspicions.

_Camera 872  
Cell Block A, Cell 534  
Weevil Containment  
July 19, 2012  
13:42_

_The Weevil was pacing in its cell; something had it unnerved, though things seemed normal. There was a quiet "crack!" as a blonde girl suddenly appeared in the cell, tears streaming down her face. She looked absolutely devastated. She took in her surroundings quickly before gasping at the Weevil. She tried to back away, frantically pushing buttons on her Vortex Manipulator, only to have nothing happen. She backed into the Weevil's hanging bed, the back of her knees hitting it. _

_Just for a moment, the girl took her eyes off of the Weevil. She grabbed the bed and thrust it upwards, causing it to hit the wall and fall back into position with a loud "crash!"—presumably the crash that had captured Ianto's attention. The Weevil took a single step back, snarling angrily. The girl stared at the Weevil, wiping the tears from her eyes quickly; glad it didn't like the loud noise._

_The Weevil lunged forward, throwing her to the ground and onto her back. Before she could move away, the Weevil pounced on her, clawing the gashes into her abdomen. Her back arched upwards as she screamed in agony. The Weevil prepared to strike again when Ianto burst through the door, shooting it._

Tosh ended the recording; they all knew what had happened next.

xXx

Regeneration always proved to be extremely stressful on a Time Lord's body, _especially_ the first few times it happened. So, after the girl's body changed, it shut itself down. She would sleep while it repaired itself; she would sleep through the pain and she would dream. Though to her, the dreams were more like fragments of a nightmare.

_Her mother dying. _

_A trip to Earth gone wrong, she was stuck; alone, afraid, lost. _

_Red grass burning, a sky on fire. _

_Women screaming and children crying for their parents. _

_Fighting and dying and blood, so much BLOOD!_

_A hologram message produced from her Manipulator—her father, tears in his eyes._

"_Daddy?!"_

"_I'm so sorry sweetheart."_

"_NO! NO YOU CAN'T!"_

"_I must."_

"_Please! Please, dad, don't! Don't leave me!"_

"_I love you, honey."_

"_Dad?! Daddy, PLEASE! Take me back! TAKE ME BACK! No, no, no, no, no, NO! Come on, come ON! DADDY!"_

xXx

"Daddy! No! _No!_ Take me back, let me go! _Daddy!_"

"Owen! _Owen!_" Jack struggled with the girl, his arms wrapped around her as she thrashed about in her sleep. Her face was contorted in pain as she screamed for her father. Jack was baffled; one minute she had been sleeping calmly, and the next she was having some sort of fit. He was afraid she would hurt herself.

Suddenly, the girl's eyes flew open and she stopped shouting. She tensed as she regained lucidity, tears springing to her terrified eyes as she gasped for air, trying to catch her breath. She squirmed in Jack's arms, wanting to be released as soon as she realized where she was.

Jack let her go cautiously, watching for signs that she might relapse back into her previous state of panic. The girl looked around the medical bay slowly, holding back her tears. Memories of how she'd arrived at…wherever she was, flooded her mind. "No, no, no, no, _no!_" she gasped, reaching for her wrist; her Vortex Manipulator. When she found it to be missing, she glared accusingly at Jack. "Give it back," she growled dangerously.

Jack shook his head, "Not until you've answered a few of our questions." He jumped back in surprise as she leapt at him, snarling. Owen burst in just in time to pull the girl off of Jack—kicking and screaming in his arms—before she could cause any permanent damage.

"Give it _back_!" she cried, struggling in Owen's iron-tight grip. Her tears started to fall. "_Please! _Please, let me go! _Let me go!_" she shrieked. "I want to go home! I want to go _home! _He can't do this to me! Give it back, I need him! I need my _dad_! …Please. _Please!_" The girl was soon shaking as her sobs wracked through her entire body. She stopped fighting against Owen and turned into him, crying into his chest.

Owen shot Jack a questioning look, but held the girl a bit tighter. Keeping one arm around her, he stroked her hair soothingly, trying to calm her down. There wasn't much else he _could_ do. "Shh, shh, hey," he spoke softly, "hey, it's going to be alright. You're gonna be okay. Shh, shh."

xXx

When the girl had finally quieted down, they led her over to the sitting area and sat her down on one of the couches. Jack went to grab them some more coffee. Owen had offered to get the drinks—a very rare occurrence—but found himself unable to as the girl clung to him like a lifeline. So he sat beside her, one of his arms wrapped around her shoulders protectively.

Jack returned quickly and handed Owen and the girl each a coffee. She sipped at it silently, gripping the mug with both hands, staring at nothing. Jack cleared his throat and she slowly looked at him, her eyes red and puffy from her tears. "I'm Captain Jack Harkness," he introduced himself. "This is Owen Harper. We work for an organization called Torchwood."

The girl nodded slowly and took another drink of coffee. She understood that Captain Jack and Owen were offering her an olive branch; telling her, without _really_ telling her, that there was no harm done by her fighting against them. She wanted to thank them, but the pain in her hearts overwhelmed her, and she didn't want to break down again. Trying to swallow the lump in her throat, she replied. Her voice broke and was barely above a whisper, but it was all she could manage at the moment. "I'm Ryder."

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**Thoughts? Questions? Concerns? Plot holes? Angry badgers?**


	3. Chapter 3

**Huge thanks to IndigoXsoul, TheGirlFromEgypt, Alyksandra Howling, and Calil Gadien96 for stalking, and to IndigoXsoul, eve995, doctorwhoizcool, and Alyksandra Howling for favoriting!**

**iulik- Lol thanks so much! :) That means a lot for some reason :P Can I answer your questions? No! In the words of River Song: Spoilers!**

**IndigoXsoul- *puts a fez on each badger and calls them all "Charlie"* Thanks so much for all of your theories, for the complements, and for the advice :) Sorry, but this one is just a long, one scene, block of words, but that's how it came out. And for the effect I wanted it to have...well...it had to be like this. I'm really glad you liked it so much :) Also, arg, just like with iulik, I can't answer your questions without Spoiling stuff! :/ SO CONFLICTED! **

**Alyksandra Howling- Thanks! I less than 3 you!**

**Seiga Niko- Thanks :) It's going to be talked about in a later chapter...*HINTING AT SOMETHING HERE* I really hope she's interesting, otherwise my story's kinda screwed, isn't it? *crosses fingers***

**thisdayandage- I'm keen to use the word "keen" cause it's epic. hmmm...*wonders if she could fit it into the story somehow***

**Calil Gadien96- Glad you like it :) I'm not sure when exactly the Doctor will show up...sorry :/ But he will...in time...**

**Side note, I've had one person suggest it already, but I'm wondering about the rest of you. Do you think the chapters are too long? Would you like me to cut them down a bit? Or do you like them how they are? Let me know! :)  
**

**So, if you review this chapter...you shall receive a bow tie! Bow ties are, and always will be, cool!**

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Chapter 3

Ryder looked between Jack and Owen, questions buzzing around in her mind. She had a horrible feeling in her gut, but it wasn't because of them. She felt that they were good, kind people. They were searching for answers but still trying to help her. Why else would Owen have allowed her to cling to him, use him as her anchor? But, no matter how nice they were, she needed to get back to her father, and soon.

Ryder wracked her brain for the different ways she could go about leaving. If it came down to it, she could always try fighting her way out. That thought was dismissed immediately; she stood no chance of winning and, to be honest, she didn't think she'd even be able to _bring_ herself to fighting Owen and Jack. In a fight or flight situation, her response would _always_ be flight. Which brought her to the next option; simply making a mad dash for the Vortex Manipulator and praying it worked before the men caught her. But, they were sure to be faster than her and she hadn't a clue to where her Manipulator even _was_. She decided to go with her final option; answer their questions and hope they would allow her to leave. Besides, she had a few questions of her own.

Jack watched as Ryder struggled internally. She was clearly not comfortable with their attention on her, wanted to leave, and yet, probably had questions of her own. "I'll tell you what," he spoke softly, so as not to spook her again, "every time you answer one of our questions, we'll answer one of yours." Ryder nodded slowly—it was a better offer than she'd expected. "First question's real easy," he smirked. "You're a Time Lord?"

Ryder nodded, "Technically a Time _Lady_, but yeah, I am." Frowning, her eyebrows pulled together. "How do you know about Time Lords?" Owen opened his mouth to tell her about the Doctor, but stopped himself when Jack shot him a look clearly saying "Bad idea!" He would ask the Captain about that later.

Instead, Jack told her about Torchwood; how this was the Torchwood _Three_ Hub, stationed in Cardiff, Wales. He explained that he and his team monitor the Cardiff Rift, and anything that might come through. Jack went on about rounding up Weevils—Ryder stiffened at the memory of her encounter with one, Owen squeezing her shoulder sympathetically—and how, basically, they had sworn to protect the world at any and all costs. "Torchwood has a very large database of alien species," he said, "which is how we knew which one you were."

"Alright," Ryder murmured, still trying to absorb some of the information Jack had given her, "I guess it's your turn then."

Thinking for a moment, Jack asked a question that he had been floating around in his mind since he first discovered she was a Time Lady. "How old are you, Ryder?" This wasn't one of his "I hope she's legal" moments, it was pure curiosity. Jack knew how long Time Lords could live for. Hell, the Doctor was in his 900s at the moment.

"Nineteen," Ryder replied easily.

Jack shook his head; she clearly hadn't understood what he'd meant. "No, not your current _body's_ age, I mean _your _age."

She shook her head, her cheeks flushing slightly in discomfort and embarrassment. "I'm nineteen. That…that was my first time regenerating." Jack was mystified; she really _was_ just a child! Not _even_ that—by Time Lord standards, Ryder was an_ infant_!

Ryder waited patiently for him to come to grips with her age. It was slightly humorous to see him so flustered. Once Jack composed himself, Ryder looked around the Hub. "Where's everyone else?" she asked. "There was another man, wasn't there? The one who found me?"

Jack nodded. "Ianto Jones," he confirmed. "There's also Gwen Cooper and Toshiko Sato, but I sent them all home for the night."

Furrowing her eyebrows, Ryder frowned, "Really? How long was I out for?"

Owen decided to pipe up. "Just a couple of hours," he told her nonchalantly. "I was wondering—why did you choose to come _here_?" He almost immediately regretted asking upon seeing Ryder's reaction.

Her breath caught in her throat. Tears pricked at her eyes again as she tried to swallow the newly-formed lump in her throat. "I…well…it was…an accident…" she stuttered, avoiding making eye contact with either Owen or Jack and trying desperately to hold back her tears. "I didn't mean to. Sorry…the Vortex Manipulator broke…" Jack could see that there was more to her answer, she was hiding _something_ from them, but he decided it would be best to leave it alone for now. When Ryder looked back up, her expression was guarded. She sighed. "Speaking of which, can I have it back now? Please? I want to go _home_." she begged.

Jack stalled; something didn't feel right with this whole situation. "If it's broken, it won't do you much good."

Ryder's breathing grew fast, her eyes widening. "I'll…I'll fix it!" She jumped off of the couch and started to pace, "I'll fix it, and then I can go home!" she said, her voice sounding frantic and cracking on the word "home." She turned to Owen and Jack, her eyes pleading. "I need to see my dad," she explained quickly. "He and I _really_ have to talk." Some kind of emotion flashed behind her eyes, but it was gone so quickly, Jack couldn't tell which it was.

"Where _is _home, exactly?" he wondered aloud.

The Time Lady blinked in confusion; Jack said he knew about Time Lords. "_Gallifrey_, obviously."

The reason for Jack's uneasy feeling finally clicked into place. The Time War… He stifled a gasp as a thought occurred to him—if he was right, things had just gotten a lot more complicated. "Ryder," he started slowly, careful with his wording, "when did you come to Earth? Linear time, I mean."

"Like, going by Earth years?" she asked. Jack nodded and she thought for a moment. "Um…I think it would have been around 1995."

Jack paled; she really _didn't _know. The Time War—the war that the Doctor had ended by destroying Gallifrey—had been between 1996 and 2005. If Ryder hadn't been on Gallifrey when the Doctor placed the time-lock…

'_Oh God,_' he thought; how on earth was he supposed to tell a _kid_ that her entire planet was gone? Her family, her friends… He looked to Owen for support, but Owen was just as horrified and unsure as him.

Their reactions, unfortunately, hadn't gone unseen by Ryder. She gave them a quizzical look, wondering if she'd said something wrong. She couldn't think of how a simple date could affect someone like this. "Why?" she asked. "What year is it now?"

"2012," Jack whispered, his mind racing—panicking.

After a few minutes, Ryder decided she'd had enough. She didn't have the time for stupid questions about years and her age. Her dad, _he _was important. Holding out her hand, she gave Jack and Owen what she hoped to be a stern look. "I have to go home _now_," she told them. "Please, pass me the Manipulator."

Jack frowned, his eyes full of pity. "I'm sorry, Ryder, but you can't go home."

She shook her head, positive she must have misheard. "Sorry, I thought you just said I can't go home." She chuckled lightly at her mistake, but when Jack and Owen made no move to correct her, her smile fell. "Wait…you can't be serious." Owen walked up to her and placed a hand sympathetically on her shoulder. Ryder shook it off angrily. "So what," she snarled, "I'm your _prisoner_ now, or something?!" This had to be some sort of cruel joke! She should have _never_ trusted them!

"No!" Jack shook his head frantically. This was going even worse than he'd hoped. "No, that's not what I mean!"

Glaring at him, Ryder snarled, "Explain then."

Running his hands through his hair, Jack sighed deeply. "Ryder, in 1996, there was a War on Gallifrey; a war between Time Lords and Daleks. It was the Last Great Time War." When he knew he'd captured her attention, he continued. "As the war waged on, a lot of the Time Lords became corrupted. One even went as far as proposing what he called the Ultimate Sanction. The Time Lords would become creatures of pure consciousness, not needing their bodies any longer. But, to achieve this, all of creation would be destroyed. The final days of the war were _literally_ hell, but, in the end, Gallifrey was destroyed and the war was time-locked in order to save the rest of creation."

Ryder stared at him, her eyes wide in abject horror. She frowned as her body began to shake. "Why are you telling me this?" she whispered. "Why would you say something like that?" Jack had to be lying. He _had _to be.

"I'm sorry, I really am, but it's the truth."

Ryder stayed frozen in place for a long moment, lost deep in her thoughts. Her coffee cup fell from her hands, the sound of it shattering setting her once again into motion. Pacing back and forth once more, Ryder spoke her thoughts aloud. "If I can fix the Manipulator, I can go home. I can get there before things get too bad and I can save him! We can come back to Earth. Everything will be fine!"

Jack shook his head again. "The time-lock makes it impossible to return to Gallifrey at any point during the war."

Ryder's breathing sped up; she was starting to feel a bit dizzy. "Fine, fine, that's fine. I'll go _before _the war even starts then! And—"

"Ryder," Owen interrupted her sadly, "wouldn't that create a paradox?"

She whipped around angrily, a dangerous fire in her eyes. "I don't _care_!" she shouted, clenching her hands into fists. "Can't you see that?! _I don't care! _I don't care if the damn _planet_ burns! I don't care if I _create_ a _stupid_ _paradox_! He's my _father_!" Ryder threw her arms out, desperate for them to understand. "He's my _dad_ and he needs me! He's all alone; he's got no one but me! I'm all he's got and…and…" Her tirade ended as quickly as it had begun. She fell into a seated position on the floor, hugging her knees to her chest and burying her face in them, holding back her tears. "_I _need _him_." Squeezing her eyes tightly shut, Ryder blocked out the world around her. She thought about everything that had happened _before _Torchwood and everything made perfect sense.

And the grief she felt was absolutely crushing.

* * *

**Thoughts? Questions? Concerns? Plot holes? Giant fish disguised as vampires in a city in Italy?**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey guys. Sorry it took so long to upload this chapter. It took me forever to write it! The Plot Bunnies weren't speaking, for ANY of my stories, and anytime I tried to write it, it came out complete crap! For example, one time I started typing and something along the lines of "Of three things I was absolutely positive. One, Edward was a vampire. Two..." Seriously, THAT would NOT do! (lol) But finally, I got this and I'm pretty happy about it! :)**

**It's a bit shorter than the past ones, let me know if you'd rather the chapters be this size or longer.**

**********PS! To anyone who didn't read the author's note in the beginning (I fixed it a few days ago too), Owen, Tosh, and Ianto are alive cause I want them to be. I know they died a while back in the Torchwood series, but for this story to work, and because I'm selfish and hated to see them die, they are alive.********

**Thanks to Cjabbott98, ChelGallifreya221B613, Exact Estimate, TheSpellweaver, JiordanoAsya, MegaTigger98, Frannie the mrawing carb, and Tanit for stalking the story.**

**Big thanks to rya-fire1, ****ChelGallifreya221B613, ****Exact Estimate, TheSpellweaver, JiordanoAsya, and ****Frannie the mrawing carb for favoriting it.**

**************Huge thanks to DoctorandAmyFan97 for favoriting me and to ****ChelGallifreya221B613 for favoriting AND stalking me!**

******************And GIGANTIC thanks to everyone who reviewed. *passes all reviewers a bow tie***

******************DoctorandAmyFan97- Thank you :) And I can't tell you that. Spoilers and all that ;) And oohh...interesting idea. I'll have to think about them!**

******************Cjabbott98- Me too. Paradox be damned! And don't worry about it. FBI paperwork can be a bitch so don't make them give it to you ;)**

******************rya-fire1- Thanks :) Yeah, LizzieXX, I'm loving her stories right now :) She's great! But, this isn't a Doctor/OC, Jack/OC or any other character/OC. Sorry :/ At least, it isn't at the moment. I'm still working out where I'm going with this. Oh yes, Jack's going to be in trouble. Probably from both sides xD *hangs head* alright...no more Venice... *considers Barcelona***

******************Seiga Niko- Eventually, yes. You're welcome very much. A lot of people who make up Time Ladies make them around the Doctor's age. There's nothing wrong with that, but I wanted to do something a bit different :) And...oh no...it WAS a Rose moment :( Damn. Not what I was trying to do when writing it, but I don't think any of us would roll over and be like "oh all right" if we knew our dads were going to die... *can't say anything about the rest without Spoilers***

******************iulik- Sorry, but no Spoilers ;)**

**********************ChelGallifreya221B613- Why does everyone what her to be his daughter? :S**

**********************Sin respuestas- thanks again for pointing that out to me :) I really appreciated it! *hands a jammy dodger***

**********************sonicpotato- Thanks so much :) **

**********************Exact Estimate- Yup, the Doctor will be introduced in a couple of chapters (I'll know as soon as I write it :P) so just hang tight :P And flirting, oh yes, there will be flirting! Especially since 11 is quite the hugger ;) I did know that, I just thought that I had put it in the author's not at the beginning. Thanks though :)**

**********************TheSpellweaver- d'aww! You make me blush :)**

**********************Calil Gadien96- Thanks so much :) And don't worry, I'm like that too. I'll skip over a long author's note (like mine) and then be like, wait what? xD **

**********************Frannie the mrawing carb- every time I type out your name, I wonder if there's a story behind it. Is there? Lol and thanks, the Vashta Nerada were super creepy!**

**********************Reviews will get you the 11th Doctor's shirt! Looks like an ordinary shirt, feels like an ordinary shirt. It is, in fact, an ordinary shirt.**

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Chapter 4

Ryder stayed huddled in on herself for a good fifteen minutes before Jack and Owen could coax her up. Jack cursed inwardly; he should have thought of a better way to tell her. She really wasn't taking the news of her world's destruction well—not that he could blame her. But, Ryder didn't cry. She didn't yell or curse or even try to hit them. She simply…shut down. Even as Jack and Owen led her deeper into the Torchwood Hub, she stared straight ahead, eyes unseeing.

They decided that she could stay in one of the spare bedrooms. A few years ago, the team had encountered an alien called Adam. Adam could manipulate memories through touch and had changed the team drastically. Gwen lost all memory of Rhys, creating quite an issue when she found him at their house. Rhys had needed a place to stay, so they turned one of the spare storage rooms into a small bedroom. Not the most extravagant place; a single bed, a small dresser, and a desk set. But now, if any of them ever needed a safe place to stay, they had one.

When they opened the door for her, she walked straight into the middle of the room, not bothering to look around. She sat back down on the floor and, once again, wrapped her arms around herself. She shut her eyes, and Jack and Owen took this as their cue to leave. Once they were out of hearing distance, Owen confronted Jack. "Out with it, mate," he frowned, "why didn't we tell her 'bout the Doctor?"

Jack sighed, rubbing his jaw. "I just…I panicked, alright?" Owen shook his head, glowering at the Captain. No, it _wasn't _alright. They'd just told a _kid_ that she was the last of her kind. They'd _lied_ to her and all because Jack had _panicked_? Captain Jack lowered his eyes from the glare he was receiving. "I know, I know," he muttered, staring at his feet, ashamed of himself. "But, the thing is…I was worried this could be another Master incident. I _couldn't_ do that to the Doctor. And now," he grimaced, "I've got no clue on how to tell _either _of them." Damn, he really hadn't thought this through. Clapping him on the back supportively, Owen left Jack with his thoughts. He'd figure it out eventually.

xXx

The next morning, Owen and Jack filled the rest of the team in on the events of the prior night. Gwen smacked Jack upside his head when she learned that he hadn't mentioned the Doctor. "Honestly Jack," she growled, "you're really thick, did you know that?" Before she could do something she would regret, she grabbed Ianto by the arm and walked away, declaring that they needed to get Ryder some clothes. Rolling his eyes as he was led away, Ianto knew he was only going because of his strange ability to know everyone's sizes, just by looking at them. Jack nodded and told them to take as long as they liked. He was hoping to get back into Gwen's good graces, not realizing that she'd swiped his credit cards to pay for everything.

Gwen hadn't stormed off simply out of frustration and anger—Ryder really _did_ need new clothing. For one thing, she only had the one outfit; it was torn and ruined from her regeneration. Not to mention, she was much smaller than her first incarnation. Hell, she was practically swimming in her clothing, and she hadn't been that big to begin with. And, she couldn't just wear the same clothes, day in, day out.

Not knowing what Ryder liked, Gwen and Ianto went to thirteen different stores. They picked out several styles in, what Ianto said was, Ryder's size. Gwen laughed giddily; Jack was going to have a stroke when he saw his credit bill.

When Ryder emerged from her room that night, she was dressed in a pair of ripped skinny-jeans, a red tee-shirt, black leather jacket, and red high-tops. The Torchwood team watched as she walked straight to the break area, sat down cross-legged on a couch, and stared at the wall. Ryder still felt the need to be alone, but had to be around people. Tosh shared a sad look with Gwen, knowing exactly what was happening; Ryder was mourning.

Some people cry because they just can't stop the tears. Others get angry at the world for taking their loved ones from them. Some carry on like normal, acting like nothing ever happened in the first place, pushing the pain from their minds. However, Ryder was one of the few that blocked the world out. She didn't speak, didn't cry…didn't do _anything_ because it simply hurt too much.

xXx

Time Lords are different from humans in a variety of ways. Among other things, Time Lords don't have the need to sleep or eat as often. So, when Ryder did neither, Jack wasn't too worried. The only reason Ryder started to eat again, a week later, was Owen threatening to force-feed her if she didn't. "I swear," he'd growled, "I will _strap_ you to this table, _shove_ this tube down your throat, and _pump_ food into your stomach!" She had nibbled on a piece of toast, just to placate him.

In truth, Owen hadn't wanted to be a dick about it, but Ryder was really worrying him; his doctor-gene had kicked into overdrive as soon as Ianto had found her with the Weevil. But that wasn't all. He, along with Ianto and Jack, felt drawn to protect her. It was like she was their little sister…from another planet.

Since Ryder didn't need to sleep very often—a couple of hours a week would keep her going—all five of the Torchwood members rotated working a night shift. Every five days, each team member would come in as the others left, just so that Ryder wouldn't be alone. Of course, seeing as he _lived _there, Jack would _always_ be at the Hub—when he wasn't with Ianto—but, once in a while, he needed time off just like the others.

For some reason, Ryder only slept on the nights Owen was there. Their routine was always the same; Ryder would go to bed and sleep soundly for a few hours before waking up screaming and crying. Owen would always rush in and comfort her, but she would never tell him what her screaming was about. After the forth night of this, Ryder started drinking coffee—a _lot_ of coffee.

Five days later (Owen's next night shift), Ryder didn't go to bed. She stayed seated on the couch, drinking coffee. Her eyes were wide and bloodshot as she stared around the room quietly, bringing the mug to her lips. Owen walked over and sat next to her. "Hey," he greeted.

"Hi," she mumbled back, staring down at her drink.

Owen frowned. "How many of those have you had this week?" The past few days, Ryder hadn't been seen once _without_ a coffee. She would sit in her regular spot—the couch in the break room—with a cup in hand, quietly drinking it. However, she _had_ started to speak once again, but she wouldn't attempt to strike up a conversation of her own.

"I dunno," Ryder shrugged, "I lost count. Somewhere in the low hundreds?"

Owen frowned—_that_ certainly wasn't something he wanted to hear. He snatched the mug from her hands, ignoring the protests he received. "Honestly, Ryder," he sighed, "you can't keep doing this."

"I can't sleep," she muttered, her face paling.

Rolling his eyes, Owen scoffed, "Well that's probably because you've drunk an entire country's worth in coffee the last couple days."

Ryder shook her head sadly. "No, I mean I _can't _sleep," she frowned. Then, in a small voice, "I'm scared to."

It finally clicked for Owen; the dreams. _That's_ why she had been drinking coffee like it was going out of style; she was _trying _to stay awake. "You can't stay up _all_ the time, Ryder." When she refused to look at him, he ran a hand through his hair, blowing out a gust of air. "Do you wanna talk about it?" Owen felt awkward just asking; teenaged girls really weren't his area of expertise. Ryder shook her head vehemently and Owen frowned again. "It might help," he tried, remembering Tosh and Gwen the other day. "You know; if you told me what your dreams were _about_. Gwen and Tosh are always talking about theirs, nattering on about what they mean and stuff like that. They seem to think talking about dreams makes 'em better. I just…I want to help." Owen realized it was true, too. Damn, when had Ryder turned him into such a sap?

Ryder sighed and closed her eyes. "It's always the same thing," she whispered, "every night, I see the _same_ _thing_. I see the Time War. Everyone I know is dying, the world's burning, and…and my dad," she bit her lip, stopping herself from finishing her sentence. She switched over to explaining another part of her nightmares. "And then I see _myself _there. The Daleks come towards me and they—" Ryder's voice broke and she started to tremble.

"Hey, hey," Owen wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into a tight hug that she reciprocated, "We're not gonna let anything happen to you, okay? You're going to be alright. I promise."

* * *

**What I wrote:** "When Ryder emerged from her room that night, she was dressed in a pair of ripped skinny-jeans, a red tee-shirt, black leather jacket, and red high-tops.**"****  
**

**What your English teacher says it means: **The black jeans and jacket symbolize her mourning and overall feeling of death. The pants are ripped because of her inability to feel whole at the moment. She's also wearing red, which symbolizes the War and violence. It shows how she's angry at the world because she'd the last of her kind.

**What I really meant: ** "When Ryder emerged from her room that night, she was dressed in a pair of ripped skinny-jeans, a red tee-shirt, black leather jacket, and red high-tops."

*****I made up the thing about Rhys and the spare bedroom (I think) but I needed a reason. So yeah.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Oohhh yay! I'm so happy with this chapter! :D It turned out really well in my eyes :) YES! THAT'S RIGHT FOLKS! THE DOCTOR IS IN!**

**Big thanks go out to:**

**Trinix216 for stalking the story.**

**Into The Vortex for stalking and favoriting both the story and myself.**

**Sayuri Ninomiya for stalking and favoriting both the story and myself.**

**OptimisticLivvy for favoriting the story and myself.**

**And to everyone who reviewed! *hands everyone the Doctor's shirt***

**iulik- lol pretty much, yeah. One of my english teachers had me doing that while I was reading for fun. I'd read a book with vampires in it (NOT TWILIGHT IT WAS VLADIMIR TODD) and I'd be like, "Oh hey, the school colours are red and black symbolizing blood and death AGH STOP IT!"**

**DoctorandAmyFan97- Thanks :) Yeah, I loved Owen too. I thought his nice side needed some light shed on it and thus, this was born :P I STILL haven't seen that movie! Ahh now that I know he's in it, I'm gonna HAVE to! Sorry about spoiling that for you, then :P And yes, it's going to follow cannon. Aside from this bit of AUness. She won't be plopped into one of the episodes, I'm going to create some adventure(s) for them, but I'm pretty sure it will be cannon. Let me know if my definition of the word "cannon" is askew.**

**Cjabbott98- Yeah, about Adam, at the end of the last chapter, I put a tiny note, just saying that I altered the Adam incident a bit cause I needed them to remember the room. I know it's unlikely, but just go with it :P**

**Seiga Niko- *snaps fingers* you're supposed to do that instead of clapping for poetry, right? lol I'm glad that I've created a character that brings that reaction! We've got both those things in this chapter, so yay for that! And as for updates, now it's just this story, my little ficlets (which are usually quick and easy to write) and my original story I'm writing. And RL, but that's alright. So updates, I'm hoping, will be every day or so.**

**ChelGallifreya221B613- Okay, that makes sense, I guess :) Thanks :)**

**Calil Gadien96- Here he is! Sorry it took so long :) Thanks for pointing that out, should be all fixed now :) And, in this and the next chapter (at least) there will be more Jack. Ryder's still kinda upset with him (understandably) so that's why there was less of him. Thanks very much and you're welcome :)**

**OptimisticLivvy- Thanks :) Yeah, I really wanted to show that side of him :) And phew! No badgers! She does understand that, but, at that moment when it's all been pulled away from her, she just doesn't care. In this chapter, it talks a little about how she understands. And soon, right here! Another one of my english teachers went on about phallic imagery. Scarred me for life.**

**rya-fire1- Sorry, but this fic has 11. I'm just better at writing him. Also, I want Jack to meet him xD When we're done with the 11th Doctor incentives, though, we shall move back to 10 and, if we go for that long, 9. Believe me, I want them all too xD *insert pervy laughter***

***SHAMELESS SELF PROMOTION***

**If you guys want to be pervs for a bit, I just updated another story in Don't Touch That about Jack, River, Amy, Rory, and the Doctor playing Strip Poker...so yeah, there's that.**

**...**

**Reviews get you the 11th Doctor's trousers (or, as we call them in Canada, pants). But wait! These aren't**** just any old trousers, they're Hypertrousers. Very similar to normal trousers, but with the word "hyper" in front.**

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Chapter 5

After about a month, Ryder was back to her normal self—at least, what Owen and the others _thought_ was her normal self. As the Torchwood Three team had never really _seen_ what this regeneration, or any regeneration of hers, really, was like on a regular day, they didn't have much to go on. But, Ryder acted normally as she wandered about the Hub, helping out when she could, naming and describing the use of any alien technology she recognized. She went off to pick up pizzas once in a while—Jack wouldn't let them order any for deliver after what'd happened with Gwen—and talked everyone's ears off. This regeneration really was a chatty one at times.

Jack had even gone as far as giving Ryder her Vortex Manipulator back. It hurt, but she _knew_ that she couldn't go back to save her people, to save her father, the consequences would be far too great. Being a Time Lady, she had _always_ known that, when people need help, sometimes, you just _can't_ save them. No matter how badly you wanted to. Now, to her, the Manipulator was simply a memory of what she'd lost.

"It was my dad's," she explained to Ianto one day while helping him type-up a digital archive system, "he gave it to me on my eighteenth birthday. It…it's like having a piece of _him_ with me, you know?" That was the most she would say about it.

Of course, Ryder was still mourning. She just preferred to do it alone. But sometimes, little things would set her off; a familiar smell, a phrase. One time, Owen jokingly called Tosh "Santa's little helper." The tray Ryder had been holding clattered to the ground and they had turned just in time to see her running from the room. It'd taken Gwen ten minutes to get Ryder to stop crying, and to discover that "Santa's little helper" had been one of her father's favorite nicknames.

The team had also stopped working night shifts; Ryder practically begged them too. She _insisted_ that she was a _big girl_ and didn't need to be _babysat_. They obliged and Jack programmed his Manipulator to cancel out hers, keeping her from zapping off—just in case.

When everyone had gone home for the night, she would sit in her room and bring up a recording of her father, always paused at the same part, about halfway through. The hologram would stand in front of her, smiling, as she told him about her day. Ryder would tell him how she missed him, how she wasn't angry anymore, and how she should have stayed on Gallifrey with him. Then, with the push of a button, he would say the words she was so desperate to hear in person; "I love you, sweetheart." Again and again she would play that sentence, letting tears roll silently down her cheeks. Sometimes, when he wasn't at Ianto's, Jack could hear Ryder softly singing songs of mourning to herself.

It broke his heart.

That was when Jack decided it was time to call the Doctor. He sent the psychic paper a message, asking the Doctor to meet him by the Rift. Then, taking in a deep breath to steal himself, he went to talk to Ryder.

xXx

The door to Jack's office slammed shut as Ryder stormed away angrily. She didn't stop to speak to anyone, didn't say anything at all, as she stalked out of the Hub, glaring straight ahead. Ianto, Owen, Tosh, and Gwen all shared a look. They knew _exactly_ why she was pissed off; Jack had told her the truth and she, understandably, hadn't taken it well. Owen followed Ryder out silently, in case she needed to vent. Ianto, however, went up to Jack.

He found him sitting with his head on his desk, covering it with his arms. "So," Ianto started conversationally, "it went that well, eh?"

"Shut up," was Jack's muffled reply. In truth, he was angry with himself; he should have told Ryder sooner, rather than wait a month. He also shouldn't have just dumped the information of another Time Lord on her casually. That was just poor planning on his part.

Ianto smiled and sat next to Jack, a hand rubbing soft circles on his shoulder soothingly. "Don't worry; it'll all blow over soon. Everything does eventually."

Jack sighed and lifted his head to look at Ianto. He couldn't help but smile back. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

"Did she know him?" Ianto asked thoughtfully. They all knew that the possibility of Ryder knowing the Doctor was there—not very likely, but still.

Sighing again, Jack ran his fingers through his hair. "I didn't even get the chance to tell her who it was."

xXx

Ryder stopped when she could no longer see the Hub. She found a bench to sit on and glared at the ground. As soon as the words "another Time Lord" had left Jack's mouth, Ryder had left the room. How could he do that to her? How could he hide something this huge? How could he put her through hell, and then tell her, just when she was starting to get better, that there's still someone out there? How could he think that would make things _better_? "I'm _fine_, Owen," she huffed angrily; she knew Owen had been following her since she walked out of the Hub.

Owen sat down next to her. "No," he shook his head, "you're not." He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and she leaned into the embrace, her anger disintegrating, leaving only hurt behind. "Look, Ryder, we shouldn't have kept it from you this long, and I'm sorry. But Jack _did_ have a good reason for not telling you straight away."

Rolling her eyes, Ryder scoffed. "Oh, goody," she said dryly, "and what would _that_ be?"

"The guy is one of Jack's best friends. A while back, there was another Time Lord, and he was kind of mental. He hurt the Doctor real bad, and Jack just didn't want that to happen again. After that, you weren't really…" Owen trailed off; his eyes searched hers for understanding.

"I wasn't really in a state to be told," she finished for him. Ryder snorted, "Glad he had such faith in me." In truth, she was already over it. She'd found out a while ago that this regeneration didn't hold grudges for very long. Jack had a legitimate reason for not wanting to tell her; it didn't make it right, but she could forgive him for that. But, there was still a nagging feeling in the back of her mind, something Owen had said. "Hang on, did you say the D—"

Stopping herself quickly, Ryder's eyes grew wide as she jumped up and raced for the Hub, Owen right on her heels.

Ryder had, just barely but clearly, heard a sound that she would never forget. A sound that she thought she'd never hear again.

The sound of a materializing TARDIS with the brakes left on.

xXx

The Doctor straightened his bow tie, snapped his suspenders, and strode out of the TARDIS. He double-checked his psychic paper; right date, right time, right planet. Laughing giddily at himself for landing in the right place for once, he looked around. "Jack?" he called out, just as the Captain emerged from the Hub. Laughing again, the Doctor gave him a hug. "Jack! Good to see you!"

A shout behind him caused the Doctor to turn before Jack could reply. A girl and a man were sprinting towards them. They paused a few feet away, eyeing him curiously. "D-Doctor?" the girl asked. Her voice shook, almost as if she were afraid to be wrong. There was something about her; something in her eyes, like he recognized her.

The Doctor's eyes grew wide. _No_, no it couldn't be…that was impossible…

"Ryder?" He knew he was right when she plowed into him. Ryder wrapped her arms around him and clung on for dear life, her tears soaking his shirt.

And the Doctor hugged her back, just as tightly.

* * *

**Ooohhh! How do they know each other?! And if you want one TINY SPOILER, read the next line. If you don't, look away now.**

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**Come on, did you really think I was going to give anything away? ;)**

**trolololol**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey guys. Sorry I haven't been posting. I've had work and university orientations and family stuff all week. It didn't help that yesterday I was hung over for the first time in my life. Not fun. Note to self: hide the plunger before you go out.**

**All in all, RL caught up to me and the bunnies were silent. BUT! I managed to get a chapter for all the stories done today! *cheers***

**Thanks to Not Defined By Boundries, Two Days Ago, Goddess of Theatre, and demolee for stalking! And also thanks to Narwhals vs. Unicorns, Calil Gadien96, and hogwartsmockingjaysilvertong ue for favoriting!**

**iulik- hehe sorry :) But I HAD to! I just love cliffhangers!**

**Into The Vortex- sorry. But not really :P**

**OptimisticLivvy- Good guess, but nope :) Lol thanks. I'm glad you like them so much!**

**rya-fire1- Thanks :) Unfortunately, I don't like coffee :P I'm more of a tea person! lol i'll see what I can do ;)**

**ChelGallifrey221B613- hmm...that question will be answered below!**

**DoctorandAmyFan97- Thanks :) Holy crap! Really?! I'm gonna have to see Thor 2...and Thor 1...yeup...IT WAS FREAKING EPIC! At the end, when Amy and Rory...and he straightens his bow tie! AAHHHH! I was like "four for you, Oswin. You go, Oswin." (Sorry, trying not to spoil anything for anyone who might not have seen it.)**

**Calil Gadien96- Haha I like teasing, but I won't be TOO cruel ;) and that will be discussed a bit later on :)**

**hogwartsmockingjaysilvertong ue- AHH HERE IT IS!**

**Seiga Niko- Yup, she is, and Jack keeps sticking his foot in his mouth, doesn't he? what exactly is a glomp? :S**

**Sky Dragon Queen- Thanks, yeah sorry about the wait :/ I'm glad it's having such an effect on you :) Again, thanks so much :D**

**Reviews today get you the Doctor's shoes! Not one, not two, but THREE! Oh Time Lords, they're always full of surprises!**

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Chapter 6

Once everyone was situated in the Hub—and once Ianto, of course, made sure everyone had either a coffee or a tea—Jack turned to the two Time Lords. Neither was talking, the Doctor was sitting on the couch to Ryder's left, alternating between staring at his tea and her; unsure of himself and what to say. Ryder sat in the center of the couch, sipping at her coffee and glancing at the Doctor out of the corners of her eyes. She couldn't decide between elation and hurt; the Doctor bringing up memories of Gallifrey. Owen sat to her right, an arm draped over her shoulders protectively.

"Ryder," the Doctor started quietly, "how are you here?" He was so _glad _that she was, but it was impossible!

Unconsciously rubbing her wrist strap, Ryder stared at her toes. "It was a mistake; a glitch with my Vortex Manipulator."

The Doctor, along with everyone else, could tell that she was leaving something out, something big. There was an awkward silence before Jack cleared his throat. "So Doctor, Ryder, how do you guys know each other?"

The subject change was welcomed as the Doctor gave Ryder a small smile. "Friend of the family," he said after a minute.

Ryder scoffed, "Please! You were my mom's _best friend_. Hell, she thought of you like an older brother!"

"No," the Doctor protested, shaking his head, "I was just a friend to her. She didn't—"

"You walked her down the aisle at her and my dad's _wedding_!" she exclaimed, exasperated. "Doctor, she _idolized _you." There was a beat before she whispered, "And so did I." Ryder looked back down at her feet, her cheeks turning slightly pink. Owen gave her a comforting squeeze while Jack, Ianto, and the girls gazed sadly at her. Before the Doctor could say anything, Ryder's head snapped back up. There were angry tears in her eyes. "Where were you?"

Taken aback by her sudden anger and vague question, he barely managed to stutter out a few words. "I—what?"

Ryder jumped to her feet, glaring at the Doctor. "You _left_! The day after her funeral you _left_! And you didn't even say goodbye!" She cried out in frustration, fisting her hands into her hair. "Doctor, we _needed _you and you left! No note, no _nothing_!"

"How do you remember that?" the Doctor whispered, his face pale. "Ryder, you were _three_ when that happened."

"Good memory, I guess," she snapped, turning away from him.

The Doctor shook his head. "No, not _that _good, so how?"

She whipped back around to face him. The tears were now streaming down her face. "Because my memory's all I've got left!" she shouted. The Doctor flinched, _knowing_ he was to blame. He watched as Ryder stormed off deeper into the Hub, the Torchwood team watching the two of them sadly.

xXx

Ryder had gone into her room to cool off. She just had so many emotions bottled up inside for so long, and they'd all come spilling out at once. "Damn it," she cursed herself. She was angry at the Doctor for leaving her and her dad when he did, but she was also angry at herself. It happened so long ago, she shouldn't have yelled at the Doctor like that. Ryder sighed, running a hand through her hair. Why did everything have to be so complicated?

Sensing a presence at the door, she stroked her Manipulator lovingly. She didn't have to turn to know who was there. "I'm sorry about blowing up at you, Doctor."

He walked over and sat on the bed next to her. "No, I shouldn't have left," he murmured, hugging her.

xXx

After a few minutes of just enjoying each other's company, the Doctor and Ryder returned to the break area. Ryder took a deep breath to prepare herself for what she was about to say. "I haven't been completely honest with you," she addressed the Torchwood team. "It wasn't actually a glitch that got me here." This didn't surprise anyone, but they nodded politely, letting her continue. "My dad used to be called 'the Assistant.' Whenever somebody needed something, they'd go to him and he would help as best as he could. It didn't really matter what the job was, my dad would be there.

"My mom was a sort of Seer. She couldn't see the future all the time, just glimpses in her dreams. A few nights before she died, I heard her and my dad talking. My mom sounded really panicked while my dad tried to calm her down. She kept going on about the grass and the trees and the sky; how they were all burning. People were crying and screaming, fighting, dying. She sobbed when she told him how there was so much _blood everywhere_. Neither of them knew that I'd heard, but it haunted her until the day she died. And, after a while, I forgot about it.

"After graduating from the academy, my dad gave me my mom's old Vortex Manipulator. Everyone else was passing their exams, getting a TARDIS, but I didn't care; I had a piece of _her_ to take with me. Dad told me that I could take a trip to Earth as a graduation present. He knew how much I'd always wanted to go—anything to do with humans always captivated me. So I kissed him goodbye and off I went." Ryder released a shaky breath. "I didn't know that would be the last time I'd see him.

"I'd only been gone a few months when he called."

xXx

_Ryder waved goodbye to the group of twentieth-century Canadians she'd been staying with. "Bye!" she smiled at the family. "Nice meeting you all! Thanks again!" The rumors were right, Canadians _were _nice! She was about to zap herself to Australia—she heard it was incredible this time of year—when a green light on her Manipulator blinked. Someone was calling her. Quickly ducking into an alley, so as not to be seen, she answered the call. "Hello?"_

_A holographic image of her father was produced from her Manipulator—he was a short, stocky man, his dark hair had already beginning to recede. He always joked that Ryder was to blame, going on about teenage girls being scientifically proven as the fastest way to make a man's hair fall out. His eyes were surrounded by laugh lines. The only difference in his appearance today, was unshed tears in his eyes. "Ryder," he gave her a sad smile._

_Ryder's hearts skipped a beat, worry instantly flooding her body. "Daddy?!" She hadn't seen him this upset since her mom had died. He didn't answer, but looked anxiously behind him, as though he expected someone to burst in at any moment. "Daddy, what's wrong?" she tried again._

"_I'm so sorry sweetheart." He gazed at her, his eyes grave. _

"_Dad, what's going on?" Ryder's dread was through the roof. She had a bad feeling about this; something was very, very wrong. She felt the blood drain from her face when her dad spoke again. _

"_Ryder, honey, you can't come back home." His eyes pleaded with her, begging her for forgiveness. _

_This couldn't be happening. "I don't…I don't understand." Ryder's eyes filled with tears as she realized what he was saying. "This is about mom's dream, isn't it?" He avoided looking her in the eyes and she knew she was right. "NO! NO YOU CAN'T!"_

"_I must." Her dad closed his eyes, pain written across his face._

"_But why?" she sobbed._

_Her question was answered by a distant scream in the background, followed by the one word she would never forget._

"_EXTERMINATE!"_

_Ryder started to shake. "Please! Please, dad, don't! Don't leave me!" _

_He shook his head sadly, "I'm so sorry, Ryder. Please, forgive me. I've locked the Manipulator's settings; it won't allow you to return to Gallifrey again. I just…I can't let you. It's been programmed to take you somewhere safe; a place that should be able to take care of you. I love you, honey."_

_There was a loud crash behind him. Ryder's father spun towards it, fear in his eyes before the image turned to static. The sound lasted a second longer than the picture, but a second was all it took._

"_EXTERMINATE!"_

"_Dad?" Ryder asked, her voice shaking and no more than a whisper. When she didn't get a response, she began frantically pressing buttons on her Manipulator. "Dad?! Daddy, PLEASE!" She started to sob again, still hitting the Manipulator, praying for something, _anything_,_ _to happen. "Take me back! TAKE ME BACK! No, no, no, no, no, NO! Come on, come ON! DADDY!" Ryder hit one last button before she was transported away._

xXx

There were tears in Ryder's eyes when she finished, the memory still fresh and painful. The Doctor quickly wrapped her up into a hug that she reciprocated. "I'm so sorry," he spoke sadly. He truly was; her parents had been good friends of his. And Ryder, he'd left her so young. To know exactly how they died, and how Ryder had been left alone, was heart-wrenching. He _would _fix this. He owed them that much. "Come with me," he asked a moment later.

"Where?"

"Anywhere."

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**Okay so please don't hate me for the Doctor NOT being her dad. It's just a bit too cliche for me (no offense to any writers of this type of story). I needed to do something a bit different, but wanted them to still know each other. We're going to get deeper into their relationship later on, so please stick with me :)**

**If you don't want to read anymore, then I'm sorry but that's alright. However, you will need to return the shoes ;)**


	7. Chapter 7

**What?! Nickel has updated ALL OF HER STORIES IN ONE SITTING?! IS THE WORLD ENDING OR SOMETHING?!**

**BLLAAGGHHHH!**

**This chapter was simply evil! I had little bits and pieces in my mind, things I wanted to see in it, and all the in-between stuff was being stupid and wouldn't write. AHH! But I finally got it out and I think it sounds good. Took me long enough!**

**Thanks to JaneScarlett and SuperAg for stalking!**

**ChelGallifreya221B613- yay! glad to hear it :) And he's going to be sort of like a father-figure person to her...it's gonna have to develop though. Her being his biological daughter is just to obvious for me. I want it to be a bit different.**

**OptimisticLivvy- exactly! Wasn't exactly seen, simply heard, but at least now we know what her nightmares were about! *tricky writer trick***

**Seiga Niko- haha I don't know why I love the angsty/sad/horrible backstories. I just do :P I like writing them for some reason *SADISTIC PERSON RIGHT HERE!* Thanks, that's another thing I was going for. Cause, if you think about it, it's already kind of a stretch that they know each other. I mean, our of an entire planet, what are the odds? But I thought this would be somewhat believable...you know...in the Whoniverse...OOOHHH so it's basically a tackle-hug then. I got it!**

**Calil Gadien96- Oh wow. That sucks. But if they're a good author, then I guess it was worth the wait! :) Haha thanks, and yes, she WILL meet the Ponds...very...soon...*coughcoughinthischaptercough hack* I'm really glad you like the name :) I've got something planned for it later ;)**

**D- THANK YOU GUEST PERSON NAMED D! :D Even though you didn't sign in (or didn't have an account) I really appreciate the review letting me know what you think :D *internet hugs***

**Since Doctor number 11 is out of clothing, we shall switch to the 10th Doctor. Reviews will get you his overcoat (you know, the long brown one that is epic?)!**

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Chapter 7

Ryder was in her room, packing up what few things she owned. Mainly, it was just clothing—jeans, tee-shirts, a couple sweaters, and converse knock-offs. However, the two seemingly random items she brought both told a story.

A small plant pot with a sun hand-painted onto it. Ianto had given it to her, attempting to brighten up her room. It had contained a cactus at first, but Ryder never _did _have a green thumb.

A silver picture frame with the word "Family" written on it in fancy script. She had seen it in a shop window and it simply called to her. There wasn't a picture in it yet, but she couldn't wait for the day when it would be filled.

She didn't own a lot.

A quiet knock alerted her to the person standing in her doorway. "Can I come in?" asked Jack. Ryder nodded her head as she zipped up her duffle bag. Jack sat down next to her on the bed. "I've got something for you." He reached into the inside breast pocket and pulled out an envelope, handing it to her.

She smiled when she opened it. "Jack, I love it." In her hands was a picture of the Torchwood Three team; Jack, Ianto, Owen, Tosh, and Gwen, all smiling up at her. It was perfect; and she knew just where to put it.

Ryder hugged Jack quickly before pulling away, frowning slightly. She sighed, "There's something I need to talk to you about." Noting the seriousness in her voice, Jack sat quietly, concerned, but waiting. Ryder cringed at what she was about to say. "Jack, I need to know something before I leave. I need to know what you are."

Well _that _certainly hadn't been what Jack was expecting Ryder to say. "What do you mean?" he asked, brow furrowing.

"Well," Ryder explained, "I know you're from the future—"

"You—"

Ryder opened her mouth, letting her tongue hand out for a moment, before shutting it again, "—fifty-first century, I'd say—"

"Hang on," Jack was _really_ confused now, "how did you know that?"

"I can taste the hormones in the air around you, they're different," Ryder brushed it off. "But the thing is…your scent…"

"What about it?" He waited patiently as she struggled to find the right words.

"It just smells…wrong…" She looked up at Jack, worry flooding her features. She _really_ didn't want him to take this the wrong way, but it had been bothering her for a while; a constant nagging feeling in the back of her mind screaming "Something's not right!"

Jack sighed. Ryder was smart and, according to the Doctor, the incident with Rose had left him with a distinct "wrong" aroma; he should have assumed that, being a Time Lord, Ryder would have been able to smell it too. "Something happened a long time ago with one of the Doctor's companions," he explained. "I died, and she brought me back to life. But now, I _can't _die. Well, I can, but I just come right back." Ryder nodded slowly; it made sense.

Okay, so actually she was completely lost, but it at least explained a few things. She gave Jack a small smile. "Thanks for telling me."

xXx

Jack carried Ryder's duffle bag out for her, setting it down by the TARDIS. "Why is it a Police Box? Weren't those only around in the sixties?" she asked the Doctor quizzically, an answer already forming in her mind.

Scratching his jaw, the Doctor shifted from one foot to another sheepishly. "Well, you see—"

"The Chameleon Circuit's broken, isn't it?" Ryder raised an eyebrow.

The Doctor refusal to answer said it all. Ryder smirked up at him as he stood, just inside the doors of the TARDIS, nervously eyeing Owen every couple of seconds. Ryder rolled her eyes and gave the medic a pointed look. "What did you do?"

Owen's expression was slightly _too_ innocent. "Nothing!" he held his hands up. "All I said was that, if anything happened to you, I'd take his bow tie and shove it so far up his—"

He squawked in protest when Ryder smacked his arm. "I _can _take care of myself, Owen," she stated, pursing her lips.

The medic simply grinned. "_Sure_ you can, kiddo."

Scoffing, Ryder walked over to where the girls were standing. "Tell Rhys I said bye," she instructed Gwen, hugging her. Looking over, Ryder found Tosh to be gazing longingly at Owen's turned back—he was deliberately trying to make the Doctor uncomfortable…and succeeding. Sighing, the Time Lady embraced Tosh. "Don't worry," she said, smiling up at Tosh, "he's thick, but he'll figure it out eventually."

"I hope so," Tosh frowned.

Owen walked over to them smirking, his hands in his pockets. "Who's thick?" he asked, shifting his gaze between the two.

Ryder ignored Tosh's now panicked expression. "Just some guy. Tosh likes him and he _totally_ likes her back. He just won't admit it to himself," she explained, biting back a smirk.

"Wow," commented Owen, turning to Tosh. "Stupid bloke."

Ryder had to stifle a giggle. "See, Tosh," she grinned, "even _Owen_ thinks he's an idiot." Owen smiled at the girls, not catching Ryder's double meaning.

"Thanks," mumbled Toshiko, hugging Ryder once more.

Feeling a tap on her shoulder, Ryder turned to see Ianto holding a thermos, with the Torchwood logo on it, out to her. "I made you some coffee for the road," he told her, smiling softly.

Ryder shook her head chuckling; Ianto—the man who believed coffee was _always_ the solution. "Thanks, Ianto…for everything," she murmured into his chest as she hugged him. Jack was next. "Captain," Ryder smiled, saluting him. He returned the gesture before wrapping her up in his arms.

Sighing, Ryder bit her lip—there was still one person she needed to say goodbye to. "Owen," she started. Before she knew what was happening, he'd gathered her into a hug and she shut her eyes. "I'm gonna miss you too."

xXx

"Bye guys," Ryder called, waving out of the TARDIS doors as the Doctor prepared to take off. "I'll call soon!" she promised.

"So, Ryder," the Doctor grinned as she walked towards the center console, "anywhere and anywhen you'd like to go! We've just got to pick up the Ponds and we'll be off!"

Before she could ask who the Ponds were, Ryder was thrown onto her backside, caught off guard by the sudden jerking movements of the TARDIS. She clung onto the dash for dear life. "Doesn't this thing have stabilizers?!" she shouted over the grinding of the engine. He really _should _take the breaks off.

The Doctor shook his head frantically. "No! Just blue _boringers_ and we are _not _using them!" Ryder rolled her eyes; it looked like there wouldn't be any dull moments from this point on. Landing his ship just as roughly as he'd taken off, the Doctor headed for the doors. "I'll be right back," he called over his shoulder, leaving Ryder to her own devices.

Cracking her knuckles, Ryder made her way under the glass floor, searching for the Chameleon Circuit. The Doctor was being extremely nice to her; she wanted to return the favor. _'It's just one little fuse that needs fixing,'_ she mused, _'how hard can it be?'_

xXx

"—and she's very young—and I mean _very_ young, only nineteen!—and she's been staying with Torchwood and she got here right before the Time War ever happened and she's—"

Amy covered the Doctor's mouth, effectively ending his ramblings. "So let me get this straight," she raised an eyebrow, "she's basically your niece, yeah? Just not _technically_ related?" The Doctor could only nod; Amy still hadn't removed her hand. She beamed. "Well, let's meet her then!" Rory nodded his agreement as they walked towards the TARDIS.

The Doctor's jaw dropped at what they were greeted with. "What the hell?"

The blue Police Box flickered for a moment before changing into a mailbox. It flickered again. A telephone pole. A parked car. A garbage can. A kissing booth. A boat. A washing machine. It flipped through several more images, faster and faster, before an explosion was heard and it turned back into the Police Box and stayed that way.

Smoke flew out of the doorway as a petite teenaged girl ran out; her eyes squeezed shut and a hand over her mouth and nose. She coughed and waved the smoke away from her face with her other hand—just about every part of her was covered in soot. Her brown eyes opened, filling with shame. Tucking her shoulder-length brown hair behind one of her ears, she waved sheepishly. "Hello, I'm Ryder," she coughed.

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**Please, please, PLEASE tell me what you think! Please lurkers? I really need to know if this is coming out as well as I think it is! Especially the scene where they're saying goodbye...that was super hard to write. Did it end up alright?**


	8. Chapter 8

**Oh MAN this update took forever! Sorry! *sheepish smile***

**Thanks to PamelaPandemic, 112233, and lynn2008 for stalking, and Elyon Cedar for favoriting!**

**Calil Gadien96- haha, yeah it didn't work out too well for her. We shall see a bit more of that in THIS chapter ;) And YES! I was totally on tumblr, live blogging the whole time commercials were on xD I can't believe that on Saturday the Ponds are going to be lea- ...Nope, can't even say it!**

**ChelGallifreya221B613- Come on, did y'all honestly think I would let her change it for good? Not likely xD Thanks, I'm glad it wasn't as cruddy as I thought it was :)**

**rya-fire1- *sips with her pinky up* Mmm delicious! Thanks so much!**

**Seiga Niko- Woo! Go angst! Thanks a lot :) We will find out a bit later on, but yes, Ryder knows vaguely how to fly a TARDIS. Not perfectly, but she passed her exam...only just!**

**Ashena-Iulik- haha thanks! I always wondered what would happen, were someone to try xD And yeah, don't expect that many updates very often xD**

**D- Thanks :) Sorry about the wait :P**

**OptimisticLivvy- Poor Ryder, this is why I didn't call her "the Mechanic" xD In Ianto's mind, coffee is the cure for everything. You know it, too xD**

**hogwartsmockingjaysilvertong ue- Thanks!**

**Into The Vortex- Thanks a lot!**

**Reviews are for the 10th Doctor's Converse sneakers! (Side note, I just recently bought Batman Converses...that's right...be jealous...)**

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Chapter 8

The Doctor stared at his smoking ship, slack-jawed in abject horror. "My…my _TARDIS_…" he whispered, his voice shaking.

Ryder was babbling, trying her best to ignore the Doctor's lamenting as he stroked his blue box. "You must be the Ponds," she chirped, trying to change the subject quite obviously. "Amy and Rory, right? The Doctor's told me a lot about you. Okay, that was a lie. I haven't really heard _anything_ about you guys…"

"…Oh, you poor thing, what did she _do _to you?"

"…I mean it's not really his fault. I just met up with him after a really long time. Sixteen _years_, actually…but I guess, by Time Lord standards, that's not really that long of a time…"

"Are you alright, dear? Any permanent damage?"

"…But anyways, Ponds—do you mind if I call you that? Ponds? It has sort of a ring to it—I'm Ryder and it's very nice to meet you. I'd shake your hands, but I'm guessing you wouldn't appreciate having soot all over you. Maybe a hug? No, no hugs would be worse. Most definitely worse…" Ryder laughed nervously for a moment. She stopped, however, when she saw the Doctor's heartsbroken expression.

"What did you _do_?!" He asked, his voice dangerously low as he gaped at the columns of smoke pouring from the TARDIS doors. He hadn't seen his ship in this much distress since he'd last regenerated!

Ryder scowled at the ground as she tried to brush the soot from her clothing, to no avail. Giving up, she shifted awkwardly, her cheeks turning crimson with shame. "I was only trying to help," she defended.

His hands in his hair, the Doctor barked out a sarcastic laugh. "What, by _blowing her up_?!"

"The Chameleon Circuit was broken," Ryder explained, exasperated. "I was trying to _fix_ it. And, by the way, I _did_…for a minute at least." The Doctor moaned sadly. Crossing her arms over her chest, Ryder decided to switch tactics; it was time to go from defense, to offense. "Besides, this wouldn't have happened if you'd have fixed her a _long_ time ago!"

"What?!" cried the Doctor. "Don't you turn this on _me_!" Ryder didn't get the chance to retort, as Amy and Rory began to laugh at the scene playing out in front of them. The Doctor; looking like a child, sad and angry with his younger sister for knocking down the tower of wooden blocks he had worked so hard on making. And Ryder; guilt radiating from her, but deciding to turn the blame on him because, really, he "shouldn't have had it there in the first place."

In all honesty, how could they _not_ laugh?

xXx

Six giant fans, forty-seven minutes, and a fire hose later, the TARDIS was once again habitable. The damage really wasn't as bad as it had looked, Ryder pointed out. The Doctor had rolled his eyes and pointed her in the direction of the bathroom, ordering her to wash up. As she began to walk away, the Doctor got to work under the console, undoing everything Ryder had done to "help."

Grumbling to herself in Gallifreyan, Ryder stopped walking and glanced down at her Manipulator; a green light was blinking. Puzzled, she answered the call, a holographic Jack Harkness appearing in the console room. "Jack!" she crowed happily.

"Hey kiddo," he grinned. "I just wanted to make a test-call, see if it would go through. How's it going over there?"

Ryder opened her mouth to answer, but was cut-off by the Doctor. "Five minutes, Jack! Five minutes here and she's already blown up my TARDIS!"

Jack raised an eyebrow, making Ryder scowl. "It was _one tiny_ explosion!" she cried over her shoulder, exasperated.

"Well, that explains a few things! I thought the colour-quantifiers in my Manipulator needed to be recalibrated again." Jack chuckled; he actually wasn't all that surprised. Back at the Hub, Ryder had tried to fix a few bits of alien tech that had fallen through the rift. Every time ended with her receiving one injury or another—cuts, bruises, burns, shocks, and the occasional fire. Jack was surprised that, with her competence in fixing things, she hadn't needed to regenerate before!

Looking at the glare Ryder was now giving him though, he quickly decided to change the subject. He noticed Amy standing near the Doctor and smirked. "Well, _hello_," he drawled. Ryder rolled her eyes. _'Here we go…'_ she thought.

Amy glanced at him and smiled. "Hello yourself." Looking the hologram up and down, she walked over to Ryder. "Amy Pond," she grinned.

"Captain Jack Harkness," he saluted.

Rory, noticing all this, walked over and threw his arm around Amy. "Rory Williams, Amy's _husband_," he introduced himself, his inner Roman bristling with jealousy.

Jack raised an eyebrow. "Lucky man."

"Hang on, hang on, hang on!" cried the Doctor, striding over, his arms crossed. "Brand new me, brand new face, brand new…other parts…and you flirt with everyone _but_ me?! I was with you at Torchwood for hours! I am well and truly hurt, Jack," he pouted. Jack _always _used to hit on him. Not that he cared. Was it the new face? He didn't care. Seriously, though!

The Captain shrugged. "Honestly, with all that was happening, I didn't really have _time_ to try," he explained. Leering, he waggled his eyebrows at the Doctor, "But, if you really want, I've got time now…"

"W-what?" the Doctor sputtered. "That's…that's not what I meant!"

Laughing, Ryder grinned at Jack. "Okay, that's enough flustering the Doctor for one day," she chastised playfully. "I really need to get cleaned up. I'll talk to you later, alright?"

"Gotcha." With a wave and a wink, Jack was gone.

Ryder smirked and looked over to the Doctor, who was now immersing himself in his work under the console, his cheeks a lovely shade of pink.

xXx

"Random button! I _love_ the random button! Never know where it's going to land us! Or when!" The Doctor danced giddily around the console after the TARDIS crash-landed…again. Amy and Ryder released the railing, to which they had been clinging to for dear life. Ryder groaned; he could at least use the stabilizers _once_ in a while!

Pulling herself up, Ryder ran for the doors, dragging Amy with her, while the Doctor tried to untangle Rory (how he'd gotten himself wrapped around the railing in such a way was beyond him), eager to see what was outside. The doors slammed shut behind them as they ran out.

A moment later, two shrieks were heard. Rory and the Doctor looked at each other for a moment, before—after one, final pull—Rory was untangled and they rushed out after Ryder and Amy. They hadn't been expecting the sight they were greeted with; Amy and Ryder, both sitting on the ground in the middle of a sidewalk, surrounded by blue…puppies?

About the size of a fully-grown Shih Tzu, the animals looked like blue, German Shepard puppies. Amy and Ryder giggled as the animals clambered over them, licking their faces. A man, also blue, stood by and watched. He turned to the Doctor as Rory sat by his wife, picking up a wriggling puppy.

"Chamaeleonidae Canis," the man said. "Means 'Chameleon Dog' in Old Earth. They're for sale if you want one." The man had a look in his eye, a look that the Doctor never liked—the look of a car salesman who knows he's just found his next sucker.

The Doctor shook his head. "No, thanks. We're not—"

"Oh _please_, Doctor?" Ryder begged, cuddling one of the fluffier puppies. "They're so cute! And they're smart too!" she cooed. The dog yipped his agreement, purring as Ryder scratched him behind the ears.

The Doctor groaned; this wasn't going to end well. "Ryder, no. We are _not_ keeping a dog on the TARDIS." It was his ship, dammit. He needed a _bit _of order. Ryder and the puppy both whimpered, pleading with their eyes. The Doctor shook his head firmly. "No. No, you _cannot_ keep some animal on my ship!"

"But Amy gets to keep Rory!" Ryder whined. Blushing as she realized how this sounded, she turned to look at the nurse, "No offense."

Rory rolled his eyes as Amy stifled a giggle. "Gee…_thanks_," he said sarcastically.

"What about the humans?" The Doctor was grasping at straws and he knew it. He wouldn't be able to say no for much longer. Even _he _was succumbing to their cuteness. "What would they think of a _blue_ dog?!" As soon as the words left his mouth, the puppy disappeared. Everyone stared in confusion at the now empty spot on Ryder's lap before the Doctor was knocked over onto his back. He shouted in surprise as he felt something on top of him. Turning blue once again, the puppy grinned his doggy-grin as he sat on the Doctor's chest.

"They're quite capable of blending in," the salesman piped-up. "They can change into a variety of different colours." The puppy demonstrated this, changing from blue to orange, from plaid to a mix of brown and black, making it look exactly like a German Shepard. "And," the salesman continued, "as you've already seen, they can turn invisible. The best part? That one," he pointed to the puppy that was now licking the Doctor's face, "is only thirty-nine Gnagles."

The Doctor looked to Amy and Rory for help, scowling when their body language clearly stated, "You're on your own." With the combination of Ryder and the puppy's begging, the Doctor finally broke. With a groan, he paid the salesman his money and the four—now _five_—of them were back in the TARDIS. Grumbling to himself, the Doctor went and sat under the console, pouting. He didn't take losing an argument well.

"Have you thought of a name?" Rory asked as Ryder scratched the puppy's belly happily.

She nodded, "Sirius."

Sirius purred in contentment; both at his new name and family.

xXx

The salesman sniggered as he counted his money, watching the blue box fade away. "Oh," he asked the other puppies innocently, "did I forget to mention the small amount of subliminal stimuli they possess?"

* * *

**Quick notes on things you may find useful:**

**- For an image of Sirius, picture this, but blue. (DONT FORGET TO TAKE OUT SPACES) www. deviantart download /166606855 /german_shepherd_puppy_by_aqua0615 .jpg**

**- Also, according to wikipedia, "****Subliminal stimuli** (literally "below threshold"), contrary to _supraliminal stimuli_ or "above threshold", are any sensory stimuli below an individual's threshold for conscious perception. Some research has found that subliminal messages do not produce strong or lasting changes in behavior. However, a recent review of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies shows that subliminal stimuli activate specific regions of the brain despite participants being unaware."

**- I just realized that I updated the last chapter on 9/11...and caused an explosion in the TARDIS...COMPLETELY unintentional, but still. Am I a bad person?**

**So yeah, there's that.**


	9. Author's Note

Hey guys, so I think I'm going to have to take a bit of a hiatus on this story. The plot bunnies just aren't speaking and, with my two other stories, I just don't have time to work on this one. I'll work on it as soon as I can, promise!

Until then, don't blink!


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